Antonio James Inducted into Massillon Tiger Football Hall of Fame
Antonio James, from the Class of 2006, played on the defensive line for three years under Head Coaches Rick Shepas and Tom Stacy. As a team captain during his senior year the team finished with a record of 13-2, with James recording 43.5 tackle points, 11 tackles-for-loss, 6.5 quarterback sacks, 5 pass breakups and forced 3 fumbles, all good enough to be named 1st Team All-Ohio. In the playoffs the Tigers defeated Canton McKinley in the regional finals and Lakewood St. Edward in the state semifinals, only to lose to Cincinnati St. Xavier in the finals the following week.
Following Massillon James played four years at the University of Illinois, seeing action in 46 games as a defensive lineman, where he posted 20 solos, 20 assists, 40 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. Then it was off to the coaching ranks, with the following stops:
- Urbana High School (2011-13): defensive line and outside linebackers
- University of Michigan, graduate assistant (2014-16): defensive line
- Morgan State (2018-21): defensive coordinator and co-special teams coordinator
- Southern Illinois (2022): defensive line coach, 2022
- Southern Illinois (2023-24): assistant head coach and defensive coordinator
- University of Illinois (current): assistant defensive line coach
In 2017 James was named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Under 30 Coaches’ Leadership Institute.
Congratulations to Antonio James.
